Electricity has quietly become one of the most decisive quality-of-life issues in Batangas, and a new independent survey suggests residents are increasingly judging power providers not by promises, but by how often the lights stay on.
The study, conducted by Capstone-Intel Corp., points to a growing preference for Manila Electric Company as households weigh reliability against repeated disruptions experienced under local electric cooperatives.
Based on interviews with 1,200 respondents across 34 cities and municipalities in Batangas, the April 2025 survey paints a picture of uneven service that residents are no longer willing to tolerate. Using probability proportional to size sampling and equal gender representation, the research captured a province where power stability varies sharply depending on the provider.
Households served by Batangas Electric Cooperative I and Batangas Electric Cooperative II reported frequent and often predictable interruptions. Sixty-two percent of cooperative customers said they experience one to two outages every month, while others cited disruptions reaching as high as ten in a single month.
Nearly all BATELEC 2 customers and more than four out of five BATELEC 1 customers said power interruptions were a recurring problem rather than isolated incidents.
By contrast, more than half of Meralco customers surveyed said they had not experienced any outages at all. The difference, according to the researchers, is not merely technical but perceptual, shaping how residents evaluate fairness, competence, and accountability in essential services.
Capstone-Intel chief data scientist Dr. Guido David said the findings reflect a widening electricity divide that has economic consequences.
As Batangas continues to position itself as a hub for industry, logistics, and infrastructure development, inconsistent power supply becomes a bottleneck that affects factories, small businesses, and households alike. Reliable electricity, he said, is no longer viewed as a premium benefit but as a baseline expectation.
That sentiment is reinforced by satisfaction scores. Both BATELEC cooperatives fell below the provincial average in overall service satisfaction and customer service, while Meralco outperformed in reliability-linked metrics.
When respondents were asked which provider they would choose if given the option, 61 percent of BATELEC 2 customers pointed to Meralco, signaling an openness to change driven by lived experience rather than brand loyalty.
The survey stops short of prescribing policy solutions, but its implications are difficult to ignore. As Batangas grows faster and more interconnected, electricity reliability is emerging as a public accountability issue that residents are actively tracking.
David described the results as a wake-up call for utilities and government leaders alike, warning that people are no longer passive consumers of power services—they are comparing, remembering, and forming clear preferences based on performance.